Butter Chicken + Roti

Who doesn't like butter chicken? I'm pretty sure no one is raising their hand right now. Even when I was vegetarian I would sneak spoonfuls of sauce from my brother when he got butter chicken (I was an undisciplined vegetarian...). This past weekend a friend came over and taught my roommates and I how to make butter chicken and roti. We were in heaven. It was so good I even forgot to take a pretty picture of the final product on my plate. Oops.

Our friend taught us how to make everything based off of watching his mom throw ingredients into a pan ...so the measurements are approximate. Taste as you go to decide if you need to add more of anything!

Roti

2 cups whole wheat flour

4 tsp olive oil

A dash of salt

3/4 cup water (might have to add more)

Combine all of your ingredients, using your hands to mix. Mix as little as possible. Slowly add more water until all of the dough can be shaped into one big ball--but don't let it get too sticky! Cover and let sit for 30-45 minutes. Sprinkle a clean surface with white flour. Separate your dough into small balls (like, golf ball size-ish). Roll the balls of dough out with a rolling pin so they are super thin. About as thin as you can get them. Heat a pan and coat with butter. Cook until the roti starts to bubble and brown and flip. Make sure to coat each side of the roti with a little butter while it cooks. Mmmmm. Put the roti on a plate with paper towels. Put your stack of yummy, buttery bread in the oven on low to keep warm while you finish up your curry!

Butter Chicken

Olive oil

1 Yellow Onion (chopped up small)

6 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 tablespoon butter

Roughly 2 inches of fresh ginger (grated)

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp coriander

2 tsp tandoori masala

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/4 tsp cayenne (this batch wasn't super spicy, so if you like your food spicy I would add a little more--add slowly at the end so you can make sure it doesn't get too hot!)

1 can of diced tomatos

A little over a pound of chicken breasts (cut up into bite sized chunks)

A few large spoonfuls of plain greek yoghurt (you could also use cream instead)

Salt to taste

Coat the bottom of a large pan with olive oil. Add in your minced garlic and cook on medium heat until slightly browned. Add onions and heat until slightly browned. Add in butter, ginger, and all of your spices and cook for a couple minutes. Next, add your diced tomatoes and let what you have so far sit on medium heat. When the oil starts to separate from everything else it is time to add in the chicken. Make sure the chicken cooks all the way through! You can also add in your yoghurt at this point. Once everything is in, cover your curry and let it sit on medium/low heat until the sauce is thickened...or really as long as you want. Our friend said the longer you let it sit, the better it gets. Ours probably sat for around an hour, with us checking on it every so often.

Serve your curry over rice with your roti! We also made some raita to have on the side (this is good to cool your mouth down if things get too spicy for you). We made a quick version by mixing a small bowl of plain yoghurt with some chopped onions, garlic, cilantro and cucumber. Maybe add in a little cumin and coriander for some extra flavor.

Next time I want to try making this with paneer (indian cheese) instead of chicken--this would be a great substitution for any veggies out there. Hope you all enjoy this recipe!